Christmas Cleanup

Here we are, the day before Christmas, and the house is a hive of activity. Both inside and out we've been super busy.

Having Sean home for a few days has been awesome. He's helped with all sorts of small and niggling jobs which combine to make life that much easier and more pleasant. An example of one is Robie - my robotic vacuum cleaner.

Quite some months back, Robie stopped working. He would balefully bleat something (in Korean) and then turn himself off. I was not pleased. Robie, while not brilliant with corners and going around chair legs, was awesome at lowering the general 'furriness' of the house. With him giving up the ghost, keeping the floors fur-free was much much harder.

Eventually I thought perhaps he could be saved, so I sent a recording of his statements off to a girlfriend for her (Korean born) husband to interpret. As well as telling us he was "Pleased to service us through cleaning" (?!) Robie was also telling us there was a problem with his RPM. A bit of online research, and Sean pulling Robie apart to get to the source of the distress, and voila. Robie is back on board. I must admit that's my Christmas present there. Clean floors with 0 effort from me? Yeah - I'll take that.

 

A happy Robie means a happy me

Have also been filing, sorting, polishing, gardening and have built a gingerbread house. The kids took an hour to make it - and about 20 minutes later started to eat it!

It's been a such precious joyous year - Oscar has done amazingly well at school (finished the year at the gifted and talented festival for prep students on the recommendation of his school) and has made lots of new friends while keeping his old ones. Adelaide is off to 4-year-old kinder next year and she is so so ready. Work is getting busier and busier for me, which is both good and bad. Have made some just lovely friends this year with some of the school Mums, too. And Sean is busier than ever at work as well. Looking forward to a few quiet days at home over Christmas!

Blooming Beautiful

I know it's been a few weeks since I've posted but they don't call this time of year the silly season for nothing. Between numerous Christmas parties, end of year functions and a very very busy time workwise, something has had to give.

Around the house not a lot going on. Bought an ENYO floor care system which is pretty awesome to use but not particularly exciting to read about. In the garden, though, lots is happening.

Firstly of all everything is blooming! As mentioned previously my gardenias are flowering, as are my hydrangeas, and the magnolias are heavy with scented blooms. And what isn't blooming is growing! Crab apple and pear are both doing well, and even my lilac is spurting up and looking happy.

Next project is the little garden bed near the rain chain. Am going to thread an irrigation line under the front path to allow that area to be added to our irrigation system. Still not 100% sure what to plant there. That will be a job for over the holidays.

It's been such a crazy busy year, that really just looking forward to a quiet Christmas. Which reminds me - here's this year's Christmas tree. Kids wanted to go wooden ornaments and silver this year.